Device for unloading vessels



(No Model.)

G. W. PRICE.

DEVICE FOR UNLOADING VESSELS. Nq. 375,715. Patented Dec. 27, 1887.

e0 7 MINI?! f 4; CZM 644W N. PETERS. Phalo-LiXhogmplwr, Washington. D.C.

PATENT OFFIcE.

GEORGE IV. PRICE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DEVICE FOR UNL OADING VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters P Application filed March 29,1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. PRICE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Devices for Unloading Vessels, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for unloadingand loading vessels, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a sectional view of a vessel and wharf and a sideview of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is aside view of the mast and gaff, and shows the weightbalancing thegripper. Fig. 4 isa view of the gripper. Fig. 5 is a view of thecounterpoiseweight. Y

The apparatus is shown in the drawings as it appears when rigged forunloading a vessel.

The letter A designates the Wharf, B a car on the wharf, and C a vesselto be unloaded. The mast D has a gaff, E, over the deck-hole, and aboom, F, projects from the mast over the wharf, and has at its end apulley-block, a. A chain or rope gripper, G,which is fully describedhereinafter, has attached a carrierrope, I), which passes through saidpulley-block a and connects with a winch, c, on the deck of the vessel,at one side of the hole d. By winding the rope I) on the winch c thesaid gripper may be carried from a position directly over the deck to aposition near the pulicy-block a over the wharf.

The mast D has a pulley-block, e, and the gaff E also has apulley-block, f, which has a position above the vessels deck-hole d. Arope, 9, passes through both of these pulleyblocks 6 and f, and the saidrope end above the deck-hole is attached to thegripper G, and the otherend, hanging down from the mastpulley e, is attached to acounterpoise-weight, H. This weight has one or more friction-pulleys, h,by which it is supported and attached to a guy-rope, z. By thisarrangement the weight Hbalances the gripper G in a manner similar tothat of a weight balancingawindowsash, and the weight will run up anddown on the said guy-rope t to meet the various movements of thegripper. It is obvious that the described balancing of the gripper willbe efatent No. 375,715, dated December 27,1987.

Seria No.232,924. (X0 model.)

feeted by the rope g passing through a pulley, and that this result willbe producedwhether one, two, or more pulleys be used. The invention,therefore, is not limited to the precise arrangement of the two pulleyse andf. The object of this combination, it will be seen, is to have theadvantages of the gripper (hereinafter referred to) without theattendant dis advantages occasioned by the weight of such a movingdevice, which is necessarily heavy.

The gaff Ehas a hoist-block, 7c, and a chain, Z, passes through thisblock, and one end connects with the winch m, and the other passesthrough the opening a in the gripper-jaws and attaches to the bail ofthe bucket I, which normally hangs over the deck-hole d. To lower from,it is necessary to turn the hoist-winch m. In thus raising and loweringthe bucket the hoistchain Z may pass freely through the opening a of thegripper-jaws, and said gripper, being balanced by the weight H, willshift its position up or down to accommodate the movement of the bucket.

The gripper will now be described, and then the operation of theapparatus will be set forth.'

The gripper, essentially, is a device which has an opening, as at a,through which a hoistchain may at times pass freely, and a jaw, as 0, bywhich the hoist-chain may be gripped or clutched where it passes throughthe said opening, and thereby stop or prevent the chain from passingfreely. It may be said,'therefore, the gripper has twojaws. The construction of the gripper may vary from that shown; but the form here shown isknown to be prac tical and operative. A shank, G, consists of twoparallel bars having at one end a hook-. curve, 11, and at the other apulley, q. Ajaw, 0, is pivoted between the said two bars, and is ofsimilar shape to the said hook-curve, but curved in the reversedirection; thereby the two hook-curves form an opening, a. As alreadystated, the hoist-chain Z passes through the said opening. The jaw 0 hasan arm, 0', and a carrier-rope, b, (or a chain, if preferred, as in Fig.4,) is attached to this arm and passes shank' G. A spiral spring, 1',connects the jaw-arm o with the hook-curvep of the twobar shank, and itseffect, normally, is to keep the bucket Iinto the said hole or raise itthereover the pulley g at the end of the two-bar open the gripper-jaw,so as to permit the hoistchain Z to pass freely through the said openinga. Asecond spiral spring, r, is shown,which serves the same purpose asthe first one. Thus one or two springs may be used.

The operation is as follows: The bucket I the carrier rope or chain 1)is first drawn, the

effect on the gripper is to extend the springs r and close the jaw 0,and thereby press or clutch the hoist chain Z. If the draft or pull iscontinued on the carrier rope or chain 1), as will be the case ifthecarrier-winch c is turned, the bucket I will be drawn sidewise in ahorizontal direction, the hoist-chain Z being unwound from its winch mto permit this movement of the bucket, and through the action of thegripper G and carrier-rope b the bucket may be drawn to a position overthe wharf, (indicated in Fig. l by broken lines,) Where its contents maybe dumped into a car, B. By now unwinding on the carrier winch c andwinding on the hoistwinch m the empty bucket will move back to itsnormal position, and may be lowered into the hole to have the aforesaidoperation of hoisting repeated.

For loading from the wharf to the vessel the position of the partscomprising the apparatus 35 should be reversed.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In an apparatus for loadingand unloading vessels, the combination of a hoist-chain gripper, aconuterpoise-weight, H, a pulleyo block, and a rope passed through thesaid pulley-block and connecting the said gripper and weight, for thepurpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for loading and unloading vessels, the combination ofthe supporting- 45 block it and hoist-chain Z, to raise the bucketvertically, a gripper, G, suspended by a rope v and having an opening,a, for the free passage of said hoistchain, and jawsto clutch the same,and a carrier rope or chain, 1), attached to the -'o said grip-per todraw the bucket sidewise, as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for loading and unloading vessels, the combination ofthesupportingblock it and hoist-chain Z, to raise the bucket 5vertically, a gripper, G, having an opening,

a, for the free passage of said hoist-chain, and jaws to clutch thesame, a balancing-weight, H, connected with said gripper by a ropepassed over a pulley, and a carrier rope or 60 chain, 1), attached tothe said gripper to draw the bucket sidewise, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE \V. PRICE.

Vitnesses:

J OHN E. MoRRIs, J NO. T. lVIADDOX.

